Water heater



Sept. 28, 1943.

S. P. LOCKE WATER HEATER Filed Feb. 19, 1941 Sam PLoc/re Patented Sept. 28, 1943 I -UNlTED- STATES EATENT OFFICE f; p ,j i 2,3so,4'a6 t I g WATER HEATER V A Sam P. Locke, Mexico llfio.

' Application February 19, 1941, Serial No. 379,557

- 4 Claims. (o1. 12'2'-1'56) This invention relates to heaters or stoves and more particularly relates to a water heater.

According to this invention, a hollow walled tubular member is mounted in a combustion chamber in spaced relation from the walls of the chamber so as to define a fuel magazine within the combustion chamber. The outer face of the tubular member is maintained in spaced relation from the walls defining the combustion chamber so that an annular flue is provided between said wallsand said face for circulation of air thr-ough the combustion chamber.

The hollow walled tubular member receives water from a tank and, since the tubular member is disposed in direct contact with the burning fuel in the combustion chamber, this water will i rapidly become heated and circulate to and from the tank.

The heaters of this invention are simple, inexpensive and highly efficient. They are capable of continuous operation with a single charge of solid fuel'over long periods of time, and do not require manual attention during these prolonged periods.

The body Or casing of the heater may conveniently be formed from a cylindrical drum. The drum .is supported on legs carrying bolts which extend through the side wall of the drum and, in turn, support a grate ring in spaced relation above the'bottom of the drum. Notched refractory blocks ar mounted on the grate ring and the hollow walledtubular member is seated in the notches of'the blocks so as to be held in spaced relation from the sidewalls of the drum and above the grate ring, The chamber provided by the inner face of the tubular member thus defines an open-ended fuel magazin and solid fuel, suchas coal, can be conveniently deposited in the fuel magazine through an opening in the top of the drum. Thi fuel will be supported on the grate and grate ring under the hollow walled tubular member.

The tubular member, being hollow, defines an Another featureof the'invention resides in the provision of. two sets of pipe connections with the water chamber defined by the hollowwalled 1311- bular member in order that the heaters can be used with either right hand or left hand water tank mountings. 7

It is, then, an object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensive efiicient heater especially adapted for heating water. I

"A further object of the invention is to provide a stove adapted for the burning of large amounts of solid fuel over-prolonged periods without manual attention. v

A further object of the inv ention is to provide a stove for heating water'which'includes a hollow walled tubular member 'or casing defining a fuel magazine with its inner face and afiue with its outer face "as well as a water heating chamber between the inner and outer faces. V p

A further object of the invention is'to provide a stove with a fuel magazine mounted in the combustion chamber andsupported from legs carc Figure 1 is a front end elevational view of a water heater and tank assembly according to this invention and illustrating, in dotted lines, the alternative mounting of the tank on the other side of the heater. g

Figure 21s a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 11-11 of Figure 1.

li igure'3 is a transverse horizontal cross-sec tional view taken substantially along the line IIIII I' of Figure 2 and illustrating parts in elevation;

Figure 4 is an isometric view otone of the supports for thehollow walled tubular member mountedin the heater shown in Figures 2 and 3.

As shown on the drawing:

r In Figures 1,- '2 and 3, the reference numeral 7 l0 designates generally theheater or stove of this invention connected to one or more water. tanks sponsive control device l2.

The heater or stove I is composed of a cylindrical metal drum or casing member I3 havin a bottom M with a downturned flange l4a secured to the inner face of the side wall of the drum at the bottom thereof, and a centrally apertured top [5 having the aperture [-511 thereof closed by a lid or cover [6. A pouch I1 is formed on the bottom front end of the drum and serves as an ash outlet as well as a draft inlet. The open top. of the pouch is closed by a cap or cover 18, which ishingedly mounted.

The upper rear end of the drum l3 receives an elbow I9 for connection with a stovepipe or chimney to provide a smoke outlet for the heater.

In accordance with this invention the drum I3 is mounted on three legs having flanges 2| (Figure 2) providing recesses 22 for receiving the bottom end of the drum and the flange I la of the bottom 14. This provides a readily attachable leg support for the drum.

- The legs 20 have upstanding portions 28a extending along the side walls of the drum for a considerable distance above the bottom of the drum. The upper ends of these portions have threaded apertures which receive bolts or threaded lugs 23 theretnrough. These bolts also extend through the side wall of the drum and project into the interior thereof for a considerable distance. A grate ring 24 is mounted on the bolts 23 in the drum as shown in Figure 2. Since three legs and three bolts are provided at equally spaced distances around the periphery of the cylindrical drum the grate ring has a, three-point suspension in the drum. A shaker grate 25 is mounted in the aperture of the grate ring and is carried by the grate ring by means of fingers such as 24a. A shaker handle 26 extends from the grate 25 under the bottom of the grate ring and through the front wall of the drum as shown in Figure 2.

The legs thus carry the grate ring through the bolts 24 and relieve the side wall. of the drum from strain,

Refractory lining 21 such as fire-brick or the like is mounted onv the grate ring 24 and extends to the top of the drum l3. to line the inner face of, the drum metal continuously from the grate ring to the top of the unit.

The grate and grate ring divide the drum into upper and lower compartments 28 and 29. The upper compartment 28 is a combustion chamber while the lower compartment 29 is an ash pit.

Three refractory blocks 30 are mounted on the grate ring 24 preferably above each bolt 23.

These blocks 30, as best shown in Figure 4, can

merely be rectangular bricks with the upper inner corners cut out as at 3| to provide supporting platforms 32 above the grate ring and back walls 33 inwardly from the lining 21.

A hollow walled tubular casting 34 is mounted in the combustion chamber 23 with the bottom thereof seated on the platforms 32 of the refractory blocks 39 and with the outer face thereof seated against the back walls 33 of the blocks. The member 34 is thus held in the combustion chamber 28 in spaced relation above the grate 25. and in. spaced relation from the refractory lining 2?. The inner wall 34a of the member 34 provides a fuel magazine adapted to receive solid fuel F dumped into the heater through. the aperture the in the top. thereof. This fuel will be supported on the grate and grate ring. as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. The outer wall 34b of. the member 34 defines, with the inner face of the lining 21, an annular flue 35 through which air and gases can pass to the smoke outlet i9. As indicated in Figure 2 the member 34 is open ended so that air can pass through the fuel magazine.

The inner and outer walls 34a and 34b of the member 34, as best shown in Figure 3, are rigidified or stiifened by means of lugs 38 cast integrally with the walls. While it is preferred to make the hollow member 34 in one piece by a casting operation it should. beunderstood, of course, that the member could be made from fabricated sheet metal.

The member 34 provides an annular water chamber C as best shown in Figure 2. Inlet pipes 3.1 communicate with the lower end of the chamber C and extend through the side wall of the drum I3 as best shown in Figure 1. These water pipes 31 extend on both sides of the heater and are adapted to be connected through pipe line 33 with a tank I I either on the right side or left side of the heater.

Hot water outlet pipes 38. extend from the upper portion of the chamber C through the side wall of the drum [3 to the outside of the drum directly above the pipes 31.. as shown in Figure l. T fittings 39 are connected to. the outer ends of the pipes 38. In operation only one set of pipes 3? and 38 are used so that the other set can be plugged by means of a cap 40 for the pipe 31 or by means of plugs 4! for the open portions of the T 35 as shown in Figure 1. The purpose ofproviding two sets of inlet and outlet pipes is to furnish a single unit for use with either righthand or left-hand tank installations.

The top outlet of the T 39 is connected through a pipe 62 with a temperature-responsive damper regulator 43 including adiaphragm 44 connected through a rod 45 with a lever which is pivoted to the top of the regulator as at 5|. and which carries a slidable weight 52 on one free end thereof and a cable or chain. 53 on the other free end thereof, The cable 53 is secured to the lid [8 for the pouch H. The weight 52 can be adjusted on the lever 50 for counterbalancing the weight of the lid. 18 so that when. the temperature of water flowing through the T 39 is efifective to shift the diaphragm 44. the lever will be raised or lowered to open or close the damper lid l8.

The other end. of the T is connected. with. a pipe- 51; communicating withthe top of the tank H.

In. operation a fire is started on the grate 25 of the heater and solid fuelsuchas coal, coke or the like is. deposited in the fuel magazine. The entire magazine can. be filled with coal if desired. Asthe coal burns it works downward to the grate ring and air for combustion is admitted through the pouch. ll into the ash pit 29. From thepit, the air flows upward through thegrate and through the burning bed of coal to the combustion zone 28. Part of this air can then circulate through thefiue 35 while another part of the air can circulate through the bed of. coal in the fuel magazine.

Since the fuel magazine is open ended no puffing or smoke entrapment will occur andthe fuel in the magazine willbe somewhat coked as it descends. to the burning. zone onthe grate. The water. in the chamber C is thus in. themidst of a burning zone and will be rapidlyv heated since the cast ironof the member 34. is an excellent heat conductor. The hotwater will. circulate. out. of the top pipe 33 into the top of the tank and circulation will. continue. to and from the chamber C andtank H. The temperature of air to the combustion zone even when the lid is fully closed.

Air can thus pass through the body of the coal Fin the magazine in regulated amounts and will be uniformly distributed throughout the body of the coal. No hot spots are formed, because the air always has a free path, and clinkers are not formed because the fuel is heated to temperatures well above its combustion point. The coal in the magazine will first coke because it is heated by the flue gases in the flue 35 and also because it receives regulated amounts of air permitting such coking. The coked coal is completely burned as it drops downwardly toward the grate.

Any grade of coal can be used and heaters embodying the principles of this invention'will operate without attention to give hot water in controlled amounts over a very prolonged period; I claim as my invention: 1. A heating device comprising a cylindrical metal drum, legs supporting said drum and hav- 7 ing portions extending along the side wall of the drum above the bottom thereof, bolts extending through said portions of said legs and projecting into the drum, a grate ring mounted on said bolts, refractorybricks mounted in sp-aced relation to each other on said grate ring, and an open ended tubular member mounted on said bricks having an open bottom communicating with said grate construction and an open top communicating with the interior of said drum, said tubular member having an inner wall portion'defining a fuel magazine in the drum and an outer wall portion cooperating'with the drum to define a passageway extending upwardly from the grate ring; 1 1

2. A water heater comprising ,a casing, a grate ring mounted in said casing above the bottom thereof, refractory bricks mounted in spaced relation to each other on said grateiring, said refractory bricks having cut out inner upper corners, a hollow walled open ended tubular member mounted in the cut out corners of said bricks terminating above the grate ring and below the top of the casing, said tubular member providing a fuel magazine with its inner face ing a closed bottom and an apertured top, a lid for closing theaperture in said top, a grate construction in said casing intermediate the top and bottom thereof, a plurality of'support members mounted in spaced relation from each other on said grate construction, an open ended tubular member mounted on said support members in spaced relation" above the grate construction and in spaced relation beneath said top of the casing, said tubular member defining with its inner face an open ended fuel magazine communicating freely at the top thereof with'said apertured top of the casing and at the bottom thereof with said grate construction whereby fuel introduced through the apertured top of the casing into the magazine can form a bed on the grate construction beneath the tubular member,

and said tubular member having an outer wall portion spaced inwardly from the casing to cooperate with the casing for defining a flue communicating with the-top and bottom of the fuel 7 magazine, means providing an air inlet communicating with the casing beneath the grate construction, and means providing a smoke outlet communicating with the upper portion of the casing whereby air from the inlet can flow upwardly through the grate andthrough the bed of fuel on the grate for circulation through the fuel magazine and through the flue to burn fuel in the bed, to pretreat fuel in the magazine, and to burn partially burned fuel gases before said gases reach the smoke outlet.

4. A heating device comprising a casing having top, bottom and side walls, a grate construction in said casing intermediate the top and bottom thereof dividing the casing into an upper combustion chamber and a lower ash pit, a tubular member mounted in the upper combustion chamber of the casing on said grate construction,

' ing a fuel magazine in the combustion chamber,

said member having an inner wall portion definan outer wall portion spaced from the side wall ,of the casing'to cooperateltherewith for defining a passageway in the combustion chamber around the fuel, magazine, a bottom wall portion spaced from the grate construction to join the passageway with the fuel magazine and grate constructhe passageway, means providing an air inlet to the ashpit, means providing a smoke outlet for and cooperating with said casing to provide an the upper portion of the combustion chamber, and means providing a fuel inlet in the upper portion of the casing communicating with said fuelmagazine whereby fuel from the magazine can form a bed on the grate construction and air from the inlet can pass through the grate construction, fuel magazine and passageway to burn fuel in the bed, to pretreat'fuel in the fuel magazine as it descends to the bed, and to burn partially burned fuel gases from the fuel magazine and bed before said gases reach the smoke outlet.

SAM P. LOCKE. 

